Intellectual Property Litigation

This course takes a thorough look at two very important and relevant hot topics in the intellectual property practice world, pertinent to not only the practitioner but also to the client: trade secrets and the Inter Partes review process.

Trade secrets are being heralded as the fourth type of intellectual property, and as such deserve some much needed attention. The presenter of this topic provides important information on all things necessary to protect those trade secrets; including an eye-opening look at the new Defend Trade Secrets Act.

Trying to protect patents can be a lengthy and expensive process. In the inter partes review portion of this course, the presenter provides an in-depth look at the significant advantages to pursuing the
inter partes review process as opposed to litigation. He provides a detailed look into the process and why it might be the way to proceed.

With influence and presence on both U.S. coasts and abroad, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP enjoys an expansive international platform. The firm has 14 offices in global centers for capital markets, energy and technology and provides its clients with the strength of this reach and a commitment to cross-border service and responsiveness. Pillsbury is a leader in its core areas of focus: capital markets and finance, energy, global sourcing, litigation, real estate, technology, life sciences, and communications.

Speakers / Authors:

Robert Fuhrer

Robert Fuhrer is a special counsel in Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman's Intellectual Property practice and is located in the Northern Virginia office. His experience involves all aspects of federal litigation and he regularly represents clients in federal patent litigation and related matters involving issues of, copyright, trademark, false advertising, and unfair competition. Mr. Fuhrer also has significant experience in arbitration proceedings and hearings before the International Trade Commission and U.S. Customs and Border Protection regarding importation exclusion orders.

Mr. Fuhrer is an adjunct professor of law at Catholic University of America's Columbus School of Law, where he teaches "Patent Enforcement: Practice and Theory." Mr. Fuhrer is a regular contributor to The FCBA Veterans Pro Bono Program and is also a recipient of 2010 Federal Circuit Bar Association Certificate of Appreciation.

Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Fuhrer was an attorney and officer with the United States Marine Corps. In his capacity as a judge advocate, Mr. Fuhrer served as a federal trial lawyer, a professor at the Naval Justice School, and as an appellate counsel representing the United States before military appellate courts and the United States Supreme Court. During his tenure as senior appellate counsel, Mr. Fuhrer was responsible for handling the most complex and important appellate cases involving the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps.

Mr. Fuhrer received his LL.M. from The George Washington University Law School in 2014, his J.D. from Capital University Law School in 1993, and his B.S. in Electrical Engineering from DeVry Institute of Technology in 1988.

H. Keeto Sabharwal

H. Keeto Sabharwalis an Intellectual Property Litigation partner and co-leader of the Global Pharma team in Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman’s Washington, D.C. office. He is an accomplished trial lawyer and concentrates his practice on patent litigation. For more than 20 years, he has litigated and tried patent cases in federal courts throughout the United States and before the United States International Trade Commission, involving a variety of pharmaceutical, chemical, medical device, and computer hardware and software products.

Mr. Sabharwal consistently is recognized for his exceptional work by several prestigious peer-review directories and highly respected lists. He has been consecutively named an “IP Star” by Managing Intellectual Property since 2012. In the 2015 edition of Intellectual Asset Management's “IAM Patent 1000,” Mr. Sabharwal was recognized for being “amazing under pressure in high-stakes pharmaceutical cases.” Since 2012, he has also been ranked among top practitioners in LMG Life Sciences.

Prior to entering private practice, Mr. Sabharwal served as a federal law clerk to the Honorable Michael J. Davis in the United States District Court, District of Minnesota.

Mr. Sabharwal received his J.D. from Indiana University School of Law, and his B.B.A. in Finance from the University of Wisconsin.